Cedar is a beautiful tree that is a symbol of Lebanon and is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. In our country, it does not grow. Therefore, the nuts, which we call cedar, are actually seeds of a special kind of pine, common in Siberia. They contain many useful nutrients and trace elements and are used in cooking. Salads with pine nuts are especially delicious, the recipes of which you will find in this article.
Benefit
The calorie content of Siberian cedar pine nuts is 0.68 kcal / g.
They contain B vitamins (B 1 , B 2 ), PP, E, as well as magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, manganese. Essential fatty amino acids are also present in nuts, including oleic, which is especially useful for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
The nuclei contain tryptophan - a harbinger of the sleep hormone melatonin. Their use before bedtime relieves insomnia.
Among other things, the benefits of pine nuts are due to the presence in their composition of easily digestible vegetable protein and coarse dietary fiber, which contribute to the normalization of digestion and remove toxins from the body.
It is proved that regular use of this product in an amount of 20-40 g per day strengthens the nerves and improves immunity.
Harm
Now that we have figured out the benefits of pine nuts, it makes sense to know how much of this product can be consumed without harm to health. Experts believe that pine nuts should not be abused, especially if you care about the harmony of your figure. They contain more than 60 g of oil per 100 g of product. In combination with high calorie content, this makes the use of a large number of nuts a difficult test for the human digestive system. In addition, they should not be included in the diet for people suffering from cholecystitis and other similar diseases.
Note! The rancid kernels of pine nuts can provoke toxic hepatitis, and after excessive consumption of even a fresh product, a metallic taste may appear in the mouth, which will disappear in a few days without any treatment.
What products are combined
Before preparing a salad with pine nuts, you should find out how to better emphasize their taste. To do this, it does not bother to figure out which products they are best combined with. Among the favorites are garden salad, arugula, Beijing cabbage, cucumbers, spinach, green onions, avocados and tomatoes.
It is recommended to add nuts in the raw composition. If you want to fry them, then the heat treatment should be short-lived so as not to reduce the nutritional value of the product.
The beets and pine nuts go well together. A gourmet salad is also obtained by adding this product to shrimp.
How to choose
To make a salad with pine nuts really tasty, you should carefully read the package. First of all, you cannot take an expired product. In addition, keep in mind that the harvesting season for nuts occurs at the beginning of autumn, and the shelf life does not exceed 6 months for inshell nuts and 3 months for peeled kernels.
After purchase, they should be stored in the refrigerator, otherwise the product may lose its original taste.
When purchasing nuts in the shell, you should pay attention to their surface. It should be dry, with no traces of mold. At the same time, too light pine nuts are likely to be unusable. To determine their quality, you need to shake a few nuts. If a characteristic sound is heard, then it is better to refuse the purchase.
Salad with arugula and pine nuts
To prepare it you will need:
- 50 g of peeled nuts and fresh arugula;
- 1 tsp. olive oil, honey and mustard (better than French);
- 6 cherry tomatoes;
- Β½ tsp lemon juice.
Making a salad with pine nuts and arugula greens takes very little time. To do this, you need:
- cut cherry tomatoes in half;
- mix honey with lemon juice, mustard and olive oil in a separate bowl;
- put on the dish arugula;
- pour cherry tomatoes on top;
- salt to taste;
- add pine nuts;
- pour the dressing.
Shrimp and Pine Nuts Salad
To prepare such a light dish you will need:
- 1 tsp honey;
- 2 tbsp. l soy sauce;
- 300 g of shrimp;
- 50 g of hard cheese;
- 3 tbsp. l quality olive oil;
- 1 tbsp. l lemon juice;
- 3 tooth. garlic
- 50 g of fresh arugula;
- 9-10 pcs. cherry tomato;
- 30 g of nuts.
The preparation of this salad with pine nuts is carried out portionwise. The number of products listed above is enough for 3 people. This means that you should take 3 plates and distribute the arugula in equal amounts over them.
Then:
- washed and cut in half tomatoes spread on top of the greens;
- in a frying pan in a small amount of oil, fry the unpeeled garlic cloves;
- peel the shrimp;
- add to the pan;
- continue to fry for about 3-5 minutes;
- spread on dishes, dividing into 3 servings;
- grated hard cheese, for example parmesan;
- sprinkle them with salad;
- in a separate bowl, mix the remaining olive oil with soy sauce, lemon juice and honey;
- sprinkle the salad with nuts.
Classic Chicken Recipe
Poultry meat is traditionally used in cooking for the preparation of various salads. There are many recipes. For example, you can make a classic salad with pine nuts and chicken.
You will need:
- 300 g chicken;
- 50 g of kernels of nuts;
- pepper and salt;
- 2 tooth. garlic
- 1 bunch of garden salad;
- 3 tbsp. l good vegetable oil.
Cooking chicken salad is easy. First of all, boil chicken meat and disassemble it into fibers. Then refueling is prepared. To do this, mix lemon juice with oil, salt, pepper and add garlic, passed through a crush.
After completing the dressing, chopped lettuce and meat are laid out in a deep bowl. Fill with dressing and add nuts. All mix thoroughly.
Beetroot salad
There are dozens of recipes in which this useful root crop is combined with pine nuts. We offer to cook something with an exotic taste.
To do this, you need the following products:
- 100 g of goat cheese;
- 1.5 pcs medium-sized beets;
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar;
- 1 bunch of arugula, garden, as well as lettuce;
- 1 tbsp. l nuts (only nucleoli);
- 1 ripe mango;
- 3 tbsp. l olive oil and the same amount of lemon juice;
- 1 tsp liquid or melted honey;
- a pinch of a mixture of Provencal herbs and dried basil.
To prepare such an exotic salad you need:
- boil and peel the beets;
- cut it into medium slices;
- put in a large salad bowl washed and chopped leaves of all kinds of herbs, which are indicated in the recipe;
- cut mango into slices (can be replaced with figs or ripe pear);
- put on the greens;
- cut the cheese into cubes;
- sprinkle with nuts;
- in a separate container, prepare dressing by mixing oil, lemon juice, vinegar and all spices;
- pour salad dressing;
- evenly distribute liquid honey on its surface.
Grape recipe
If you like unusual tastes, we suggest you try another original salad. It is prepared from the following set of products:
- 0.5 kg chicken fillet;
- salt;
- 3 eggs;
- 80 g kernels of nuts and hard cheese;
- vegetable oil (olive);
- 1 medium bunch of grapes (better than those varieties in which there are no seeds);
- 1 tbsp. l curry seasonings;
- 100 g of mayonnaise and fat sour cream for dressing.
Prepare a grape salad like this:
- chicken fillet is washed and finely chopped;
- fry the meat in a small amount of oil for a quarter of an hour, stirring occasionally;
- salt and add curry;
- all mix;
- fry for 5 minutes and leave to cool;
- nuts a little fry until golden;
- the eggs are boiled;
- rub on a medium grater;
- do the same with cheese;
- prepare dressing, mixing sour cream and mayonnaise;
- on the dish on which the salad will be served, chicken fillet is distributed;
- smeared with sauce;
- sprinkled with a part of pine nuts;
- lay grated eggs;
- smeared with sauce and sprinkled with pine nuts;
- spread grated cheese on the surface;
- grease cheese with sauce;
- spread halves of grapes;
- sprinkled with pine nuts.
- put the salad in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to soak.
"Biting"
And now we offer a recipe for an unusual nettle salad. To prepare it you will need:
- one lemon and one large tomato (fleshy);
- 2 tbsp. l kernels of nuts;
- salt;
- 20 olives with extracted bones;
- ground black pepper;
- 600 g of young nettle leaves;
- 3 tbsp. l olive or other vegetable oils;
- several branches of greenery;
- 1 tsp. sprouted grains, honey and mustard.
Prepare a salad in this order:
- sorted out and washed nettles;
- only the tops of the branches are selected;
- pour boiling water over;
- squeeze with your hands and squeeze to squeeze a little juice;
- finely chop the olives and add to the nettle;
- chopped tomato;
- together with sprouted grains and nuts add to other components;
- dressing is prepared by mixing olive oil with mustard, liquid (melted) honey and lemon juice;
- salt and pepper;
- grind the dressing until smooth;
- season salad;
- mix, decorate and serve.
"Gazebo"
Fruits are perfectly combined with pine nuts. We offer to prepare a dessert salad from the following set of products:
- 50 g of kernels of nuts;
- 3 green apples;
- 2 oranges (or 4 tangerines);
- 5 tbsp. l powdered sugar and natural yogurt.
To do this, you need:
- crush the nuts in a mortar slightly and fry a little in a frying pan without oil;
- wash the apples;
- remove peel and seeds;
- cut into thin slices;
- peel oranges;
- disassemble into slices;
- cut across.
- beat with a mixer yogurt with 2.5 tbsp. l powdered sugar;
- mix fruits;
- add nuts and dressing;
- mix;
- put into glasses;
- sprinkle with the remaining nuts and powdered sugar;
- briefly put in the refrigerator and serve.
Now you know two salad recipes with tomatoes and pine nuts, as well as other products that your loved ones will love.